Warriors: Prophecy of the Sky

Chapter Three

Spottedkit congratulated Lilypaw and Ashpaw halfheartedly, then stalked off towards the nursery. She was so mad, she was born just a half moon after Lilypaw and Ashpaw and was just as big as both of them.

I wish I could be an apprentice! I would want to be a medicine cat though, not a warrior who fights battles and gets hurt! She thought to herself. She then got an idea, maybe I can go look for herbs in the forest! Then I could bring them to Brightfeather, our medicine cat and everyone will be proud of me and not the new apprentices.

She suddenly realized she'd said the last part out loud.

"What was that dear?" Her mother, Mistycloud asked softly, while grooming Spottedkit's dappled white fur. "Oh, um – nothing!" She mewed quickly, afraid her mother would find out her plan.

"Okay, just tell me if there's anything bothering you, I'm here to help." She said as she looked down at Spottedkit with concern in her light blue eyes.

"Don't worry, I'm fine!" she flicked her ear nervously wondering if Mistycloud was suspicious.

Relaxed, Spottedkit soon found herself fast asleep with her mothers gentle strokes on her pelt.

The next few days went by quickly. Spottedkit kept thinking about how she would escape camp to find herbs for their medicine cat Brightfeather. Why can't I just be an apprentice! Then everything would be so much easier, and then I could gather herbs without having to worry about getting caught!  She then saw a crack in the camp's wall, just big enough for a small cat to get through, "Brightfeather?" She meowed once she was barely inside the medicine cat's den.

"Yes?" replied the ginger medicine cat, who was busy at work sorting herbs. "I think Ashpaw has a bellyache. Will you go check up on him?" She mewed sweetley, trying to cover up her lie.

"Okay," Brightfeather said, "Just let me finish with my herbs." Spottedkit nodded and raced out of Brightfeather's den. She had not been thinking about what could've happened. Ashpaw wasn't sick at all!

The young cat ran to the apprentices' den, but when she arrived, Ashpaw wasn't there! "Um, Leafpaw?" Spottedkit asked, "Where is Ashpaw?" Leafpaw purred back, "He's making dirt. He's taking so long because he ate a bad mouse today! Hope he likes his bellyache!" Leafpaw's eyes sparkled with amusement, "Okay.. I guess" Spottedkit replied. She would go and tell Brightfeather that he also had a bellyache, and then she would escape to get some herbs.

She padded into the den and told Brightfeather about Ashpaw's bellyache. When Brightfeather left the den to go check up on him, Spottedkit slipped through the crack in the wall of the camp and let out a yelp when some brambles scraped the skin under her sleek fur. She looked at the small gash in her front leg. It was bleeding a bit. Her eyes widened as she smelled a cat coming towards her.

No! I'd better hide before someone finds out I'd left! She spotted a holly bush and sprinted for cover. She could hear pawsteps and the swishing of the undergrowth getting louder, and ducked in her tail, just before Tigerstripe padded into view.

She could see the dark ginger tabby tom from under her holly bush; he was looking around wildly with his narrowed eyes, trying to find the source of the noise she had created. He started walking back toward the entrance of the camp. Relief swept over the gray she-cat. She had almost been caught sneaking out of camp! When the warrior was out of sight, she scrambled out from under the holly bush and went out to search for herbs.

Spottedkit had just finished burying a few poppy seeds and some marigold when she heard something rustling in the bushes. She stared at the blueberry bush in front of her. It was moving. She opened her mouth to taste the air, but as she did the creature hopped out of the bush.

"A rabbit!" Spottedkit squealed. The rabbit whipped its head around and dashed away, but the kit raced after it. She could feel the wind blowing swiftly through her sleek, spotted fur. Spottedkit suddenly pounced. She could feel it trying to wriggle free under her paws, but then she finished it off with a bite.

Spottedkit was filled with joy. She had never caught prey before! As she was heading back to camp with her herbs and her rabbit, she suddenly bumped into something that made her drop everything.

"What's a little kit like you doing out of camp?" It was Tigerstripe.